On that day in December 2008, Sigma Alpha Epsilon members put Carson into a vehicle to get him the medical help they needed. But they changed their mind and took him back inside a house out of fear they would get in trouble.

Carson’s parents, Julia and Scott, made it their mission in the wake of their son’s death to both educate young people about the dangers and signs of alcohol poisoning and to fight to eliminate the fear that they believe cost Carson his life.

They launched the nonprofit Aware Awake Alive, through which they spread their message and advocate for immunity laws or policies in states and at colleges across the country.